In support of the City’s cycling initiatives, this week the V&A Waterfront introduced additional bicycle stands at various locations throughout the property and more are on their way. The new bicycle stands are similar to those found in key locations in central London and in many other cities throughout the world that offer cycling routes.
“The V&A Waterfront fully supports the City’s cycling initiatives and the Western Province’s plans to ‘position the Province as the green economic hub of South Africa’,” says Chantelle Cole, Executive Manager Strategic Marketing: V&A Waterfront.
“The introduction of Cape Town City’s cycling routes, as part of ’its green economy‘, is very commendable and sets Cape Town on a par with many international cities.
“Cycling and walking are fast becoming a preferred mode of transport and sight-seeing for many people and the V&A Waterfront is putting plans in place to support this global trend and to encourage a healthier lifestyle,” says Cole. “We have a dedicated cycling lane and continue to improve our signage to improve the navigation of our site, on foot.”
Cycling tours company, AWOL, is another aspect of the V&A Waterfront’s greening approach. And the V&A recently launched a historical walking tour which departs daily from Chavonne’s Battery Museum area near the Clock Tower and takes visitors past 22 historical landmarks on foot. The V&A Waterfront remains committed to providing new ways of discovery for its visitors.
“There is an increase in the demand from international visitors to see and experience Cape Town on foot or bicycle. And as a sea-side city with active outdoor citizens, we need to continue to respond to the increasing number of Capetonians taking advantage of the cycling and pedestrians routes in and around the V&A Waterfront,” says Cole. “Visitors have their choice of public transport too, and come November 2012 we will have additional MyCiti routes linking the V&A Waterfront to the city and surrounds.”
The V&A Waterfront, which attracts more than 23 million visitors annually, was awarded the Heritage Sliver Award after a recent benchmark audit by Heritage Environmental Management Company.
It is the first tourist destination in Africa to be independently audited and certified for its environmental compliance.
“We take our reputation as a world-class destination very seriously. A crucial aspect of this is ensuring our environmental and sustainability measures and initiatives are at the forefront of all our business practices,” says Cole.